Talking to the media on Friday, the Karnataka chief minister said that the government’s anti-corruption watchdog, Lokayukta, will conduct an independent and impartial investigation into the matter.
Earlier in the day, the MLA from the BJP, Madal Virupakshappa resigned as the chairman of Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Limited (KSDL).
Basavaraj Bommai said the Lokayukta was closed during the Congress regime but was re-launched with the aim of comprehensively curbing corruption in the state. Many such cases are likely to have been closed during the Congress government, which weakened the Lokayukta, he added.Source:- The Week
He said the Lokayukta is an autonomous institution and it will enquire the source of the money as well as others who are involved in the case. He said anyone who is found guilty will be punished.
The Karnataka CM also ruled out the possibility of the government hushing up the incident and compared his government to the earlier Congress regime. Bommai said Congress ministers and MLAs had as many as 59 charges against them but it was hushed up since there was the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) at the time. Once things are enquired by the Lokayukta, the truth will come out, he said.
He further added, The former minister KJ George favors continuing the ACB and this will show who is in favor of corruption. The Congress party cannot claim itself as the clean party as they have done in the past. Cases have been registered against Congress ministers in the past. Now everything is being enquired by Lokayukta.
Source: India Today
Replying to KPCC President DK Shivakumar on the alleged scams in the Excise and the Labour departments, the Karnataka CM said those cases will also be investigated by the Lokayukta.
The Karnataka government had ordered the abolition of the ACB in September last year and transferred all its pending cases to the Lokayukta. The Siddaramaiah-led Congress government created the ACB in 2015 following an extortion allegation against the son of the then-sitting Lokayukta.
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